


A Tall Cup of Temptation

by mollrach13



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Addiction, Coffee, Domestic, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-10
Updated: 2012-10-10
Packaged: 2017-11-16 01:24:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/533934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mollrach13/pseuds/mollrach13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>written for the kinkme_merlin prompt: Before Merlin met Arthur he didn't even like coffee. But because of some misunderstanding Arthur kept making Merlin a cup every morning they woke up next to each other. Now Merlin might be slightly addicted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Tall Cup of Temptation

**Author's Note:**

> Authors Notes: warnings for mentions of addiction of the caffeine variety.

It started, as most things did for Merlin, with a gorgeous man.

He had an hour to kill before his mums train arrived and it was a choice between a bustling coffee shop and the pub. If Hunith turned up for her first visit since he started Uni with him smelling of a brewery Merlin would be done for, and in line for copious lectures about the perils of binge drinking and falling grades.

So Merlin stood in front of the chalk board menu, large swirling letters interspersed with images of steaming cups of presumably inedible thick black tar, and tried to decide between a hot chocolate and a milky cinnamon drink that sounded tempting, when he felt a heat move up beside him.

The heat was solid, and close, and Merlin felt it seep into his bones.

“Tough choice huh?” The voice was deep, slightly rough, and posh. Just enough pure bred Englishmen to make Merlin’s knees quiver. Merlin spared enough of a sideways glance to take in a chiseled jaw and blonde hair. He hummed non-committedly. 

“I bet I can guess.” The stranger continued.

“Guess what?” Merlin knew that playing hard to get was merely a formality at this point, but he had to make the gorgeous man work for it.

“Your order. I have a bit of a knack for it.”

“Oh really?”

“Yup.. now let’s see…. Something hot.”

“Hmmm.”

“Strong.”

Merlin trailed his gaze up the blonds arms, nicely sculptured against the white of his t-shirt. “Yeah.”

“And you can definitely handle a large.”

Merlin smirked then turning himself to obviously give the stranger a once over. “Hm. I’ve handled larger.” He then watched in delight as the blond threw back his head in a full bodied laugh, “Go on then Mr. Large-and-Strong. This rounds on you.”

Merlin had been equally shocked by his own courage and pleased by the blonde’s heated gaze that he didn’t really notice he had been gifted a large black coffee until they were both seated in the corner of the café.

The Blond – Arthur he had introduced himself as – noticed him eyeing his cup. “Got it right didn’t I.”

And he really just looked so pleased with himself that Merlin couldn’t deny him. He gave his best coy smile and tried not to grimace as he took a sip.

The coffee was left mostly full when he finally had to leave to pick up his mother, one phone number heavier.

*

Merlin woke up aching in all the right places, the bed sheets of a much higher quality than his own smooth against his naked skin.

A pair of lips pressed against his shoulder and he let out a pleased hum.

“Morning.” Arthur mumbled against his skin, trialing his lips up Merlin’s neck to behind his ear.

“Mmm. Morning.” Merlin purred, tilting his head for a morning kiss.

“I made you breakfast.”

Merlin let a content smile spread over his face before pulling himself up to sitting, “Is this the treatment I get every morning I stay over, because I have to say, I approve.”

Arthur blushed, rather lovely, and retrieved a tray from where it was balanced on the bed side table, “No, I just thought we should celebrate”

“What, our first sleepover or the fact that you survived the battering from my elbows.”

“Shut up.” Arthur said fondly, placing the tray in front of Merlin, sliding up to sit beside him. “Just eat your breakfast.”

Breakfast seemed to be a bowl of freshly cut fruit, some American Pancakes and… a large mug of black coffee.

“Coffee?” Merlin asked, working around the steaming mug to pick at some melon.

Arthur was sat nursing his own large cup. “Yes, it’s the same…” Arthur coughed and looked a little uncomfortable before rushing out, “it’sthesameasthefirsttimewemet.”

Merlin couldn’t help the fond smile that crept over his face as the blush deepened on Arthur’s cheeks. “You remembered.”

“Of course I did you idiot it was only two months ago… To us”

Merlin looked back down at the offending drink and back to Arthur who was holding his own mug out in toast, then up to Arthur’s hesitant smile, looking like he couldn’t believe he had just done something so corny and Merlin was probably going to think he was a freak and…

Merlin lifted his mug and tapped it to Arthur’s, braced himself and took a sip of coffee. 

He used the moment when Arthur turned to place his mug on the bedside table to grimace and scrape his tongue on his teeth.

But then Arthur leaned over and pressed his mouth to Merlin’s. Arthur’s breath tasted of coffee, but Merlin discovered he didn’t mind it this way.

*

It became tradition after that. 

Every weekend Merlin stayed over at Arthur’s he would get breakfast in bed, along with a mug of steaming coffee. Black. 

On their year anniversary Arthur took him back to that coffee shop at St. Pancras.

When Arthur finally convinced Merlin to move in with him, Morgana bought them a state of the art espresso machine. Merlin spent all night being the taster bunny whilst Arthur experimented.

And pretty soon it was part of his life. Like Arthur’s sweaty socks, and the smell of old books. 

*

Uther had a heart attack that summer.

Well – no. He didn’t actually. He had heart burn. But when Morgana called Arthur frantic one evening that Uther was crippled in agony on the kitchen floor, clutching his chest, Arthur and Merlin had flown to the hospital only to be told that Uther should be fine.

But that wasn’t enough for Arthur and Morgana.

Soon Uther had appointments booked with every specialist and cardiologist in the phone book. Full medical checks, referrals, second opinions.

Uther looked bewildered sat between an arguing Arthur and Morgana. This time over which specialist diet their father would go on. The ‘no dairy’ or the ‘low protein’. Inevitably, Merlin – with the weeping heart – feeling sorry for the Pendragon senior, retreated to the kitchen and brewed them both a strong mug of coffee.

Uther’s sigh was relieved when he finally had his hands around the steaming cup and sent Merlin a thankful smile. They both settled down to drink and Uther lifted his cup for a sip when-

“And this has got to go!” Uther looked in bewilderment between his now empty hands and the stripy mug Morgana was holding. “Caffeine is not good for your blood pressure or your cholesterol. Merlin I expected better from you.”

Merlin withered slightly under Morgana’s quelling gaze and guiltily placed his still full mug on the coffee table. Uther and Merlin both sat through the rest of the night in silence. Morgana and Arthur seemed to come to some sort of agreement and Merlin was allowed to leave. He gave Uther a sympathetic wince as he was dragged from the house and Uther looked forlorn towards freedom before being besieged by Morgana. 

When they returned home Merlin began pottering in the kitchen.

“I think Morgana’s right.” Arthur spoke from where he was lounging in the doorway. Merlin hummed in vague agreement, retrieving two cups from the cupboard. “I think we should really cut back, it’s never too young to start thinking about our health.”

“Definitely.” Merlin replied, grinding the coffee beans.

“And-“ Arthur coughed and fidgeted, his default stance when he was about to say anything he deemed soppy or emotional, “-I would quite like you to be around for a while… you know… with me.”

Merlin gave him a warm smile and slunk across the kitchen handing Arthur his full mug. “And I plan to be around, annoying you, for many more years to come.”

Merlin lifted his mug for a sip before a warm hand covered the top. He looked up to find Arthur’s face a lot closer than before

“I mean it Merlin.” Arthur serious gaze bore into his own, both pleading and stubborn, an act that Merlin had only ever seen this particular Pendragon pull off. “I think we should start taking better care of ourselves. Starting,” Arthur pried Merlin mug from his fingers and set it aside, “no more coffee.”

Merlin would have objected, he really would, but then Arthur’s lips were covering his own his point didn’t seem very interesting anymore.

*

The next morning began like all the others. Arthur’s alarm went off at a god forsaken time in the morning, the blond pressed a kiss to Merlin’s grumbling head before disappearing into the shower. Merlin dragged himself from bed once he heard Arthur turn on the news and tripped into the bathroom. He emerged a short while later, less bleary eyed and a tooth brush hanging out of his mouth. 

The kitchen was his next port of call, he grabbed a mug from the cupboard, still half consciously brushing his teeth, slid it along the counter, grabbed for the coffee mug handle-

He nearly fell of balance when he reached out for the silver handle of the steaming coffee jug to find the entire coffee station gone.

“I put it away.” Merlin whirled around to see Arthur sat at the breakfast bar, “If we are not using it’s silly letting it take up that much counter space.”

Arthur pushed a full glass of thick orange juice towards him with a smile as he sipped his own.

“I thought we could get a juicer.”

Merlin decided to cover up his expression at that with a large gulp of juice.

He was still picking bits of pulp out of his teeth when he stumbled into work.

*

When he returned home that evening the house was still dark and cold from its lonely day. It was a Monday which meant Arthur was at the gym with Percy and Merlin would have to fend for himself for a few hours. 

He shed his coat and scarf onto the floor of the hallway and dragged his heavy legs into the living room. His head was pounding, and he felt as if he could sleep for a week, he vaguely contemplated getting some pain killers from the kitchen before he allowed himself to collapse onto the sofa.

He was still there when Arthur returned flushed pink from his work out an hour later. 

“Merlin?”

Merlin managed a grunt into the sofa cushions in response, blinking blearily when the light was turned on.

“What are you doing in the dark? Are you sick?”

The blatant worry in Arthur’s voice gave Merlin the strength to turn his head to the side. Arthur’s large hands swept through Merlin’s hair, rubbing slightly against his scalp. It felt like heaven on his pounding skull. 

“Mmm,” Merlin mumbled, pushing into Arthur touch like a cat, “Just tired.”

Arthur gave him a fond chuckle, giving Merlin a scratch behind the ears. Merlin disliked how good that actually felt. 

“Let’s get you to bed then.”

Merlin allowed himself to be manhandled to standing and maneuvered down the hall to their bedroom. Normally the act of Arthur undressing him would have spurred some kind of sexual deviancy amongst the bed sheets, but tonight, it was all he could do to keep his head up straight.

Merlin was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, the slight press of a kiss to his forehead the last thing he felt. 

*

Arthur’s alarm went off two seconds later.

Merlin blinked at the digital clock flashing 6am back at him no matter how long he stared. 

Merlin’s head still pounded.

He walked into the door frame on the way to the shower, earning himself a no doubt spectacular bruise on his shoulder.

He dropped his toothbrush twice attempting to get the toothpaste on the bristles. 

He tore a hole in his socks.

Then Arthur passed him a glass of fresh pineapple juice. 

Merlin tried to smile as he sipped it down.

*

It started, as most things did with Merlin, with a gorgeous… no, wait, actually for once there was no gorgeous man (well there was but he was in an office a 20 minute train ride away, probably sending his assistant out for expensive smoothies and zinc infused water).

No; this time it started with the absolute cluster fuck that Merlin’s work at the moment. He sat in one of the many small conference rooms, surrounded by an entire rainforest of paper and two laptops in front of him, both not giving him the information he wanted. 

He let out a heartfelt groan and dropped his head into his hands.

“Not going well?” Freya asked, knowing full well the answer.

“It’s not there!” Merlin wailed, “Why is it not there?!”

“We’ll call IT again, we’ll get it sorted.” Freya, always cool and calm, even in the midst of an absolute fucking crisis. She gave Merlin a look that said she knew exactly what he had been thinking and he was over reacting. Merlin easily ignored her and pressed redial on the phone, setting it to speaker phone and mechanically pressing refresh on the computer closest. 

*

Freya returned sometime later, being decidedly absent during Merlin’s frustrating conversation with the idiots in the IT centre, and placed a steaming mug next to him.

He took it with no thought, the scent filling his nostrils and easing his tension already. He took a big gulp, allowing the bitter taste to sooth its way down his throat and pooling it his belly.

“Ahhh.” He sighed, cradling the mug closer, “That’s so good.”

Freya snorted into her own mug, “If you think this sludge is good you really have been working too hard.”

“I haven’t had coffee since the weekend, even Gilli’s brew would be –oh.” He paused, realization coming over him at what exactly was in his mug. Guilt was his first emotion, swallowing the lingering taste from his mouth, “I shouldn’t really be drinking this. Arthur’s on a health kick.”

“That at least explains,“ Freya waved her hand at his general person, “you.”

“What you mean?”

“Headaches, lethargy, snappiness. You’re in caffeine withdrawal. Though,” she eyed his half drained mug, “not anymore.”

Merlin stared into his mug with wide eyes “Oh my god. Withdrawal… like an addiction. I’m an addict!”

Frey chuckled in the face of Merlin’s aghast look. Merlin thought that the sum of all his single mothers fear’s after he became friends with Will were not something that should be chuckled at. When he said as much Freya rolled her eyes.

“Oh please, I thought Arthur was the drama queen of the two. Half the people in this building probably have a caffeine addiction. It’s not that bad, really.”

“Really?”

“Really. Do you want me to get you a green tea or something?”

Merlin opened his mouth, to grudgingly accept, but a miracle happened. It was like one of those kids cartoons or the ever cheesy self-improvement videos they were forced to watch at group training. But no matter how cliché Merlin felt the light bulb above his head ping on. “Ah!” he cried, jumping forward to his phone, “I’ve got it, I got it!”

“Got what?” but Merlin waved her away impatiently, propping the phone between his shoulder and ear and began to furiously type away.

*

Merlin sighed when he sunk into the sofa cushions that night. But it wasn’t the sigh of the work-pummeled and downtrodden. This was his content sigh; he had Chinese on the table in front of him, the latest episode of Dr. Who on catch up and Arthur warmly at his side. He snuggled closer to that heat, forcing Arthur to lift his arm to hang around Merlin’s shoulders.

“Good day?” Arthur chuckled, but tightened his arm around Merlin’s shoulders. Merlin nodded into the crook of Arthur’s neck.

It had been so long since they had been able to do this, just sit after a day’s work and relax. The move to a paperless work environment had been Merlin’s proposal, and although once up and running the system should be seamless and much more efficient, actually getting it going had become a colossal headache that spilt over into everything, including his home life. 

“It’s good to be home though.” Merlin mumbled, his lips pressing a kiss to the exposed skin of Arthur’s neck. It had been innocent, just the closest place his lips could reach but he felt Arthur shift around him, his arm tightening a fraction on his shoulders. Merlin smirked and did it again, this time opening his lips a little, allowing some moist skin into the kiss.

“Merlin.” Arthur mumbled in reprimand but shifted his head giving Merlin more room.

“What?” Merlin asked against Arthur’s neck, turning now to press kisses up to his ear, giving the lobe a small flick of the tongue.

Arthur turned, the TV and food forgotten now, capturing Merlin’s lips, chaste at first, but then they both opened and allowed their tongues to wrap together. Merlin found himself being lowered to the sofa, Arthur’s weight, heavy and wonderful on top of him. 

Merlin surged up, running his tongue over the roof of Arthur’s mouth and winding his hands under Arthur’s T-shirt, running up the smooth skin, his strong shoulder-

Then there was space above him, Arthur pushing up so he was leaning over Merlin, an adorable little frown between his eyebrows. 

“What?” Merlin asked, breathless after only a few moments of incredible kissing, that they should be getting back to right now. But Arthur grabbed his wandering hand.

“Did you have coffee today?”

“What?!” Merlin blinked at the non sequitur. And blinked again when Arthur moved fully away from him to stare incredulously from the other side of the sofa.

“You did, didn’t you?!”

Matt Smith rambled on in the back ground and Arthur just looked like someone had kicked his favorite puppy so Merlin sighed. “Only one.” Arthur’s eyes widened in shocked hurt and Merlin couldn’t help but shift guilty, “Ok, maybe two. But Arthur-“

“I can’t believe you!” Arthur launched himself from the sofa, grabbing his full plate from the coffee table and marching off to the kitchen in a move so quick Merlin had to take a moment before he followed. 

Arthur was furiously scraping his beloved Singapore Noodles into the bin, and angry edge to his jaw.

“It was an accident Arthur.”

“What you tripped and fell face first into a vat of Gold Blend!”

“No… It’s just it’s been really stressed at work and Freya made me one, I didn’t even realize that I had drunk it until it was too late!”

“And the second one?”

“Ok, the second one was my bad. But it was only a small one and I had been feeling so crappy and tired…”

“I can’t believe you would do this to me!” Arthur ragged over the kitchen island, “Do I mean nothing to you that you would betray me like this!”

Merlin surveyed Arthur’s red face and clenched fists and totally agreed with Freya’s ‘Drama Queen’ statement. “Arthur, I think you are over reacting.”

“Overreacting?! After what happened to my father-“

“Your father had heartburn! Tell him to take a Gaviscon and go to bed!”

Arthur’s expression shuttered, and Merlin knew he had lost this round. His face had become that of Arthur Pendragon, King of the Boardroom, the one that caused managers to cower in their Italian leather ergonomic chairs. Before Merlin could even stutter an apology, he stormed from the room.

*

Arthur slept in the spare room that night, he took his alarm clock with him which meant that Merlin kept waking himself up during the night, afraid he would sleep in until he finally gave in and got up into the shower first (Because if Merlin was going to feel out of sequence then Arthur could wait for his shower).

Merlin was grumpy, he hadn’t gotten his morning kiss and by the way that Arthur was steely refusing his glances it looked like he wasn’t going to get one any time soon. So he cut his losses and decided he would rather sulk at his desk than over his cold kitchen counters. He grabbed a cereal bar from the cupboard and tried to stifle his snort when Arthur forgot to put the lid on the juicer before turning it on.

The glare Arthur sent in his direction over his banana covered suit led Merlin to believe he didn’t stifle it hard enough.

His grim satisfaction carried him through until first tea break of the day. Things were going a lot more smoothly now that they had worked the main lot of glitches out and now had a handful of temps entering all the paperwork information that would be needed on the system. But it was still a bit stressed and even though it was a group effort Merlin felt the weight of its success or failure on his shoulders. And it didn’t help that his guilt and remorse from upsetting Arthur had festered into anger and hurt. 

He gave Gilli some money and sent him to the canteen, properly brewed beverages a reward for his hard working team. He smirked and leant back in his chair, gleeful in his distant middle finger in Arthur’s direction and anticipated the arrival of his strong, black coffee.

So when he received his steaming cup and took a long sip he nearly choked.

“What is this?” he said disdainfully, carefully lifting it’s lid to eye the murky liquid within.

“It’s Herbal Tea.” Gilli stated, purposefully not making eye contact as he passed out the rest of the drinks.

“I think I ordered a coffee.”

“Arthur said not to let you have any Coffee.”

“…Wait – what? Arthur?”

“He called earlier and said that under no circumstances were any of us allowed to let you consume coffee or he would make sure to buy the company and replace us all with highly trained apes.”

Merlin looked incredulously around at his wide eyed so-called friends, and Freya who looked much too amused. “And you believed him?”

Everyone mumbled and stared down into their own cups. Their own cups of steaming caffeinated goodness. At that moment everything in Merlin’s life was unfair: this ridiculous argument with Arthur, this stupid new computer system that wouldn’t just work, all the orphaned puppies and the hosepipe ban! He picked up his stack of papers and stormed off to his desk. 

*

Merlin was still drying out the downpour he got caught in from his hair when Arthur got in that night. The Blondes knowing smirk did nothing to temper Merlin’s already foul mood.

He had been sulking at his desk, sullenly checking spreadsheets, when he had been called to his Killgarrah’s office. The was subjected to a lecture on how this project was being more disruptive than need be and that he ‘wasn’t living up to his potential’, comments about his work attitude and sent back to work with a disappointed glare.

Everyone else was tiptoeing around him, afraid to incur more of his wrath, making him even more pissed off. So he decided to leave work early only to get caught in the most surprise downfall he had ever seen.

Merlin hated that smirk. It was the smirk that appeared when Arthur thought he had the perfect hand in Uno, it was the smirk that appeared when Merlin got a lecture from his mother on treating his ‘hard working boyfriend with more respect’, it was the smirk that appeared when Arthur maneuvered the car into the space in one go when Merlin had spent five minutes trying to wiggle into it. 

Merlin hated that smirk, and would not let it win.

He glared back, grabbing his favorite cereal and spent the rest of the evening watching a film Arthur hated in bed, eating cereal straight from the box. 

*

Merlin rubbed his hands together to try and get some feeling back into his tips. The chilly April breeze ruffling his hair. He pulled his scarf up tighter and looked out of the mouth of the alley he was stationed in. There wasn’t much pedestrian traffic, this was good, less chance of been seen.

He checked his watch again. He was late but Merlin decided to wait a few more minutes before worrying but then he saw him. His long locks and his leather jacket. Merlin shuffled further back into the shadows waiting for him to arrive, trying to ignore the acrid smell of the rubbish bins behind him.

“Where have you been!” Merlin hissed when Gwaine’s silhouette came into the mouth of the alley. Gwaine stared at him in bewilderment for a few seconds.

“Mate you look deranged, and why are we in an alley.”

“Because someone might see us on the street, have you got it?”

“Yeah I got it – Jesus, I feel like your dealer.”

But Merlin had stopped listening when Gwaine pulled a large cardboard cup from his jacket. His fingers grabbed into it and he felt his tension drain with the first scalding sip.

He closed his eyes in reverence allowing a happy smile on his face. “This is good stuff, where did you get it?”

“Dunno, some place on the corner. Listen,” Gwaine started, “you know I love to piss the princess off, but don’t you think this is getting a little silly.”

“What’s silly is Arthur’s face.” Merlin mumbled in return, most of his attention to the cup warming his hands.

“Seriously dude, we are in an alley. An alley that smells like hot garbage.”

“That would probably be the hot garbage over there.” Merlin gestured to the black bags piled up next to an air vent further back the way.

“How lovely. Yeah… I am not doing this anymore if we are meeting here. I’ll bring you a cup to your office or we’ll go to a café but this stench gets in my hair man.”

“No you can’t!” Merlin wailed. Arthur had gotten to everyone. Everyone at work, Hilda in the canteen, Phil at the corner shop, every coffee shop in walking distance of the house or work. Gwaine was his last source, and he would be damned if he lost to Arthur in this ridiculous game of one-up-manship. 

“And now you are making the crazy face again.” Gwaine leaned forward and neatly plucked the nearly empty cup from his grasp, dodging Merlin’s grabby hands. “It’s for your own good.”

“Traitor!” Merlin called at his retreating back, earning a wave over Gwaine’s leather clad shoulder. Merlin took a deep breath through his nose, then gagged and wished he hadn’t, before hurrying back to the office. 

*

Merlin trudged through the door to the sound of the TV humming from the front room which was… odd. Arthur never got home first. Ever. 

Merlin tried to think up some reasonable ideas of what was going on, the most his caffeine deprived mind could come up with was that a burglar had realized he hadn’t watched all ten season’s of ‘Friends’ and so stayed to rifle through Arthur’s DVD collection. 

All his theories came to a halt, however, when he saw Arthur sat watching Sky Sports in his sweats.

“I got sent home.” Arthur mumbled, still facing the TV, “Elena said she couldn’t stand the sight of my pouting face any longer… I don’t pout!”

If it had been a normal, sane, properly functioning week, Merlin would have made a retort and then seen exactly how much Arthur ‘doesn’t pout’ for himself. But it wasn’t. He had slept alone for the past three nights, had snapped and had to apologize to everyone on his team, had burnt his tongue twice trying to drink his banned coffee’s too quickly and Arthur hadn’t looked him in the eyes for days!

“This is all your fault you know!” Merlin blurted, throwing his bag to the floor. Arthur snapped his face round to, finally, glare at Merlin. 

“My fault?!” Arthur rose jerkily from the sofa coming to stand in front of Merlin, hands on his hips.

“Yes! Your fault! I didn’t even like coffee before I met you. It was disgusting!”

“Oh please Merlin,” Arthur rolled his eyes, “you’ve always been obsessed with coffee. You’ve had a cup every morning we have ever spent together for as long as we have been together.”

“Because you made it for me!” Merlin shouted. Arthur eyes grew wide but Merlin continued, “I hated coffee. I was standing there trying to decide between two very lovely, non-coffee drinks and then you swagger up being all gorgeous and funny and buy me a coffee so I had to take it,” Merlin was pacing now, his hands flailing around his head, “and then you made me breakfast, and blushed, and stammered, and what was a supposed to do!? So I drank it, and the next one and then it became this thing I could never tell you because then it would be like our relationship was made of lies and you would trust me. And-“

Arthur placed a single finger against Merlin’s flapping lips, halting their movement. Merlin looked to see Arthur staring at him with a mixture of shock and, strangely, fondness in his eyes. “You… Did you really just drink coffee because I made it?”

“Well,” Merlin took a few deep breaths, recovering from his rant. He could feel his red face cooling down under Arthur’s gentle scrutiny, “yeah… And then it was a thing, I couldn’t start the day before we had sat down and had a drink together and then it’s become all entwined with all these good things- mmph”

Arthur lips covered Merlin’s bypassing enquiring and going straight for probing, Merlin staggered back a few steps before getting with the program and throwing his arms round Arthur’s neck and holding on for dear life. 

After a few breathless minutes Merlin found himself pressed up against the living room wall, the light switch digging between his shoulders blades. “I should mention,” Merlin gasped when Arthur released his lips in favour of kissing along his jaw, “I may have an addiction, you’ve turned me into an addict.”

“God,” Arthur chuckled against the smooth skin of Merlin’s neck, “You’re an idiot.” Some people may have thought this as an insult, but Merlin just smiled. Arthur hadn’t called him an idiot in three days.

“Really?”

“Yes. You are definitely an idiot. I wouldn’t have cared if you didn’t like my coffee, I would have made you tea.”

“Maybe – ah!” Merlin squeaked when Arthur’s cold hands snuck up the back of his shirt, “Maybe we should just forget the coffee thing. There are other things we could do, that don’t involve headaches or caffeine cravings.”

Arthur was backing him up into the bedroom, slipping Merlin shirt from his shoulders and pressing a kiss to each newly expose strip of skin. After being a little touch depraved these last few days each press of skin on skin was sending his nerves into haywire, buzzing up into his brain.

“You’re right,” Arthur said as he pushed Merlin into sitting on the edge of the bed. “Maybe we should take up running.”

Merlin would have objected, he really would, but then Arthur’s lips were covering the head of his cock, slowly taking more and more into the warm heat of his mouth and Merlin couldn’t even remember his point anymore.

*

It started, as most things did with Merlin, with a gorgeous man

A Gorgeous man with an amazingly talented tongue. Which was fine, and went onto to an amazing night of indecent sexually deviancy between their bedroom sheets.

What was not amazing was being awoken at 6am on a Saturday by an overly awake boyfriend trying to pry you into trainers.

Even the trees looked still asleep when Arthur tipped him from the car onto the parks gravel running route.

Twenty minutes later Merlin was leaning, heavily, panting against a rotting bench, his breath misting in front of his face. He felt sweaty and cold at the same time, his nose was cold and he had a stitch. 

Then Arthur was running past him “Come on Merlin!” he called over his shoulder, pushing his legs into long powerful strides. Merlin watched the muscles quiver under the skin, the way his thighs tensed on every step. He tilted his head to watch the fabric of Arthur’s small running shorts pull over his arse… maybe this new running thing wasn’t so bad.

Merlin pushed from the bench, dragging his dead legs into some kind of rhythm, making sure to keep that arse in his view the whole way.


End file.
